…they build sturdy castles out of mud and twigs
Ok, we gots a fun poll today, y’all!
Mr. Porkwaffle Buys A Goat
…which he then names Beatrice
Hello, my little woodland chums! The most recent poll has been closed and it would seem that the e-zine title Potawango Island Gazette and the idea of a fake gaming industry gossip column are both pretty popular. Thank you for taking the poll.
I started a second courier run at work yesterday. It’s only on Tuesday & Wednesday, but it gives me 9-10 much needed hours, as well as a chance to drive up in the mountains to Grass Valley, so it’s good.
Gotta go. More blogstuff later.
An Ibis On The Nightstand
…and a merganser on the headboard
Look, kids, it’s a new poll!
This is not the final list of ideas for a title, but it’s a start.
The Family Friendly, Yet Way Terrifying, Story Of Mostly Purple Patty And Evil Zombie Santa Claus
…co-starring her Grandpa Boris
Hello, children! It has been a battle these past couple of days between your kindly old Uncle Doc and LiveJournal and this poor old laptop. Many times have I been nearly ready to throw the laptop away and then crush LiveJournal HQ under my sandaled feet.
Seems to be an LJ vs Opera problem. On Firefox now.
After some thought and comments by both doc_mystery and others, I’m scrapping the idea of a website for my writing in favor of a monthly PDF E-zine with a linked blog allowing for audience participation and comments. More details in the following poll.
It Was A Very Cheerful Apocalypse, As Such Things Go
…with singing and fudge and cartoons and pie and an open bar
Website thoughts
While revising and reviewing the vast number of characters/locations I did both here on LJ and in unpublished files, I’ve decided that I’m going to go with Theme Weeks when I put them up on the website. (which we are hoping will be launched in January) See, most of them were originally done as theme weeks, so half of my work is already taken care of.
With all of that in mind, I figured I’d list some new Theme Week ideas and let you, Gentle Readers, vote on them.
The House In The Woods Where The Singing Badgers Live
…You need to be really drunk to find it
The Adventure Building Poll, The Finale: The Army Of Terror
And so, we rap up our little adventure creation experiment. It was fun, folks, so we’ll do something similar soon.
After a day of resting up, Our Heroes hear that the Super Creeper is raising hell at the city market area. Rushing there, they find the now 10 foot tall and badly decomposing Super Creeper sending rotten vegetable golems after the terrified citizens. After they attack him, he summons up a swarm of flesh eating flies that head straight for El Santo.
Through fast thinking and the liberal application of lard, El Santo is saved is safe from the flies long enough for Our Heroes to kill them using fire. Then they turn their attention to the Super Creeper.
And that’s when a dozen Nazis attack!
A three way fight breaks out, with the good guys and the Super Creeper finally getting the upper hand on the Nazi scumbags. However, the last surviving Nazi manages to`get in a powerful hit on the Super Creeper by using a strange looking gas grenade.
Crazed with fear and pain, the huge monster flees the city, but Our Heroes easily track him to a huge cavern, several miles outside the city. There, they launch a final assault on the Super Creeper, who finally pretty much just rots away. The group’s scientists will take samples of the rotting tissue and send it back to the labs at HQ.
After that, there will be much merrymaking at the huge fiesta celebrating the destruction of the monster. Then, bidding El Santo and La Bruja Blanca goodbye, Our Heroes head off to their next action packed adventure. But…
…about a month later, they learn that the plane carrying the samples of tissue crashed somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains south of Yosemite. And now, some strange stories are surfacing about something huge, dangerous and terrifying heading north along the mountain range.
THE END?
Super Frosted MescaWheats
…fiber with that psychedelic difference
The Adventure Building Poll, Third Phase: The Army Of Terror
We’re nearing the end here, folks. The Super Creeper is nearing critical mass, El Santo is still alive and Our Heroes are undaunted! Let’s see what happens next.
More bloggage later!
Doc Tempest And The Sword Of Satan
…from the April, 2011 issue
The Second Website Poll Results
Ok, gang, time to look at your answers on the second poll concerning my upcoming website. Once again, thank you to all of you who responded.
There are several ways to present world settings. Which do you prefer?
Quite a bit of detail in all aspects of the setting 3 (30.0%)
Lots of detail for some parts, but less so for others 4 (40.0%)
Loose detailing, so the GM has room to add things 3 (30.0%)
While some of you want TSR style massive detailing, more of you want varying degrees of detail, allowing for some GM room to mess around with things. Fortunately, that is how I was planning to writev these settings.
What gaming genres would you most like to see settings for?
Steampunk (50.0%)
Space Opera (40.0%)
Swashbuckling Adventure with Fantasy Elements (40.0%)
Pulp! (useable for Hero, Horror, Espionage and other pulp styles) (40.0%)
Gothic Horror (30.0%)
Gritty Post Apocalypse (30.0%)
Fantasy (30.0%)
Hard Science Fiction (20.0%)
Post Apocalypse Fantasy (20.0%)
Alternate History (10.0%)
Espionage (10.0%)
Superheroes (10.0%)
Humor (NOT Toon based) (0.0%)
Swashbuckling Adventure (0.0%)
1950′s Monster Movies (0.0%)
Steampunk is the winner here. I’m rather surprised that both straight up swashbuckling adventure or 1950′s monster movies failed to get a single vote. Anyway, it looks like the first settings I do will be steampunk, space opera, swashbuckling with a touch of fantasy and pulp.
Regarding humor pieces: Choose your favorite level of humor
A bit risque (some cursing, some racy bits) (70.0%)
Adult (cursing, adult topics) (20.0%)
Family friendly (no cursing, no sex or violence. good clean fun) (10.0%)
This one actually did not surprise me. PG-13/R rated it is!
Ok, for stuff like Characters, Creatures, Adventure Seeds, Stuff, etc…
Mix it up each time you post something, Doc. (50.0%)
Theme Weeks! (30.0%)
Theme Months! (20.0%)
Different themes for each type, each month. (0.0%)
Different themes for each type, each week. (0.0%)
Looks like I’ll be mixing it up each time I post. I might still do a theme week now and then, but not for everything.
About the selling of finished, expanded PDFs: Assuming you like the subject matter, would you buy it?
Yep (57.1%)
Only if regular donaters get a price break. (28.6%)
Nope (14.3%)
No surprises here, either, but I would most likely give regular and/or generous contributors a price break. Or maybe free “special features” stuff. Or a possible annotated “director’s cut”.
Audience participation via polling: Which two of the below would you most like to vote on?
The serial fiction (50.0%)
Everything, Doc! (30.0%)
Subjects of Theme Weeks/Months (30.0%)
Characters (20.0%)
Places (basically, villages, towns, small areas) (10.0%)
Larger Settings, but still smaller than the World settings (countries, kingdoms, geographical regions) (10.0%)
Creatures (0.0%)
And it’s serial fiction for the win! Theme week/month subjects might also get some polling love, as would the odd week of letting y’all decide on everything in a future weeks postings.
Next time I poll, I’ll be narrowing the focus even finer. Right now, however, it’s time for Miss Lucy and I to go walking.
The Ice Cream Dwarves Hate The Pancake Goblins
…it has something to do with enchanted syrup.
The Adventure Building Poll, Third Phase: The Army Of Terror
During a pitched battle with the attacking Aztec Mummies, Our Heroes discover that immersion in water will paralyze these horrid undead long enough to rip out their withered hearts. The forces of good triumph.
Later, the group splits up, half going with El Santo and half going off to follow some keads with La Bruja Blanca. Not long after the split, El Santo is attacked by eagle sized vampire bats. Fortunately, luck is on the side of Good and the group escapes by using an old tunnel.
Meanwhile, the other group finds out that even as he is growing more powerful, the Super Creeper is starting to deteriorate. His skin is rotting and he is beginning to look zombielike. This may give them a clue on how to destroy him.
Also, in twin strokes of luck, both groups find out that Nazis have arrived in Mexico City. These Nazis mean to kill the Super Creeper AND the Our Heroes.
Another poll later today/tonight.
The Diagon Alley Cat Blues
…who knew that Arthur Weasley could play such a wicked sax?
The Second Website Poll
Yes, I have another website poll for you to take, Gentle Readers. this one gets into a bit more of the specifics of things. Thank you in advance for your participation.
But first, some information. Longer pieces of writing, such as world/setting descriptions, will be presented in smaller pieces, such as General Description, Geography, History, People, etc, etc. Audience participation is these longer pieces will be limited to selecting the genre or sub genre. The exception to this will be 1 or 2 serial form stories (such as On The Road With Violet, when you will get to vote on each chapter.
Once a longer form piece is done, I expect it will be put up for sale as a PDF. Such PDF products will include more content (probably much more) than was available on the website.
Shorter form pieces (Characters, Creatures, Stuff, Adventure Seeds, etc.) will be split between the free side and the pay/donation side. Most likely, this will be evenly done. One free, one pay.
Con reports, rants, etc, will always be free, as will short humor pieces.
If I’ve left anything out in the above or on the poll, please let me know.
More bloggage later.
